Mechanical bait-caster.



PATENTED JULY 12, 1904.

T. A. KIMBERLIN. MECHANICAL BAIT GASTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

6111 U0 11 F0: Thomas A.Kimber1in qvi fn macs Gall/@014, dwmh E v UNITED STATES Patented July 12, 1904.

PATENT @FFIQE.

MECHANICAL. BAlT-CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,853, dated July 12, 1904.

Application filed July 11, 1903. Serial No. 165,054. (No model.) 4

T (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. KIMBERLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Bait-Casters, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my said invention is to produce a mechanical device for anglers use by means of which flies and other bait may be accurately cast to the point desired.

It consists in a suitable construction of spring-gun upon which the reel carrying the line is mounted andwhich embodies suitable 5 means for propelling the bait and unreeling the line, all as will be hereinafter more partieularly described and claimed. Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof, and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, Figure. 1 is a side elevation, with the projector in retracted position, of a baitcaster constructed in accordance with my present invention; Fig. 2, a central Vertical sec- 5 tional view, on a somewhat enlarged scale. through the operative parts thereof; Fig. 3, a horizontal sectional view showing the projecting mechanism in extended position; Fig.

4., a transverse sectional view as seen when 3 looking in the direction indicated by thearrows from the dotted line 4 kin Fig. 1; Fig.

5, atransverse sectional view as seen when looking in the direction indicated by the arrows from the dotted line 5 5 in Fig. 3; Fig.

I 6, an end elevation as seen from the dotted bearing-plate 14, secured-within the barrel for that purpose. A shoulder 15 is formed in the barrel at the proper point, against which 5 the collar 13 will strike when forced forward in Fig. 2, by the spring 18.

handle-lever 21in being thrown back to the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings carby the spring after, the latter is released and p which limits the travel of said collar. Upon the rear end of the rod 11 is a hook 16, which I .is adapted to engage with a notch formed for that purpose in the trigger 17. The trigger is held forward into engaging position with the hook on the rod, as shown by the full lines The rod is retracted and its hook brought into engagement with the trigger17 by means of the handle 21, which is mounted on the pivot 22, and thus acts as a lever, and the link 23, one end of which is connected to said lever-handle and the other of which passes around under the said hook 16. As shown in Fig. 3, this link 5 p 23 is double, and the space between the two sides is large enough to permit the point of the hook to travel back and forth. When, therefore, the rod '11 has been retracted, the

ries this link along with it below the rod to a point just beyond that to which the hook will travel-when the gun is discharged, where it remains ready for use when it is'desired to again retract said rod.

The line-reel 31 is suitably secured to the barrel 10, usually by means of bands 32, similarly as such reels are commonly secured to fishing-rods. The-line 33 runs thence through suitable guides 34 and 35 to in front of the rod 11,"whichis provided withabait-holding receptacle 36, Which is preferably of an approximately spoonebowl shape at its front end 'at the point where the line terminates and the 5 hook carrying the bait is situated. The eyes or guides 34 and 35 are upon a rod 37, mount ed on top of the barrel 10 and which serves as the outer portion of the fishing-rod in use and is preferably flexible for the same reasonthat ordinary fishing-rods are flexible. As will by this time be clearly understood, a pulling upon the trigger when the other parts are in the pomechanism starts the reel 31 to revolving with considerable rapidity, so that unless it is the movement, I provide a brake which willbe thrown into operation automatically just at the time when the limit of movement of the rod 11 is reached. For this purpose I provide a cam 40, which is secured to the rod 11 and passes through a notch in the side of the collar 13, and upon the outside of the barrel 1 provide levers 41 and 42, which are pivoted upon supports 43 and 4A, respectively. Said levers are connected together at the meetingpoint by a pivot 45 and are normallyheld out into position by a small spring 46, so that the free end of the lever 42 is held away from the line reel. When, however, the discharge takes place, the cam contacts with the inwardly-extending. end of the lever 41, which operates to throw the rear end of the lever 42 lightly against an adjacent surface of the linereel, thus acting as a brake sufficiently to prevent it from rewin'ding, while at the same time not appreciably shortening the cast.

As shown in the drawings, the implement is to be held somewhat in the position of a gun or pistol during the time when the cast is being made, and during this time the line-reel is positioned upon the under side, generally just in front of the trigger-guard. After the cast is made, however, I turn the implement over, so that the line-reel is on the upper side, where it is in convenient position for the angler to wind up or otherwise manipulatehis line thereby, as may be desired.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a bait-caster, of a barrel, a rod positioned therein, a bait-holder carried by said rod, a spring adapted to throw said rod outwardly when released, means for retracting said rod and bringing the same into engagement with the trigger, said trigger, a line-reel, a line on said reel, and guides located on the structure between the reel and the bait-holder through which the line passes whereby it is guided in its course from the reel to the bait-holder.

2. The combination, in a bait-caster, of a barrel, projecting means contained within said barrel, means for releasing said projecting means and performing the cast, a line-reel, a

line leading from said reel through suitable guides to in front of the projecting means, a brake mounted on the structure adjacent to said reel, and a cam carried by the projecting means arranged to come in contact with and operate said brake to contact with said reel as said projecting means reaches the limit of its movement.

3. The combination, in a bait-caster, of a barrel, a projecting means therein, a cam carried by said projecting means, a compound lever pivoted outside the barrel, the free end of one member of which extends into the path of, said cam, and the free end of the other member of which extends to a point adjacent to a surface of the'line-reel, and said reel.

4. The combination, in a bait-caster, of a barrel, a projecting means therein, a cam carried by said projectingvmeans, a compound lever pivoted outside the barrel, the free end of one member of which extends into the'path of said cam and the free end of the other member of which extends to a point adjacent to a surface of the reel, and means, as as'pring, whereby normally the free end of the firstnamed lever is held in the path of the cam and the free end of the other lever is held away from the surface of the reel so that the braking action on the reel is performed only when the cam reaches and operates upon said first-named lever.

5. The combination, in a bait-caster, of a barrel, a projecting mechanism therein comprising a longitudinal rod having a hook on its end, means for impelling said rod when released, a trigger for holding said rod when retracted, and means for retracting said rod consisting of a lever-like handle and engaging with the hook on the rod, said link having two members as described between which the hook may travel in the discharging operation.

6. The combination, in a bait-caster, of a barrel, projecting mechanism mounted in said barrel, a line-reel mountedon said barrel, a line on said reel the free end whereof extends to adjacent to said projecting mechanism, and' means for setting and releasing said projecting mechanism. I

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolisflndiana, this 8th day of July, A. D. 1103.

THOMAS A. KIMBERLIN'. [L. 8.]

Witnesses:

Cunsrnn BRADFORD, J AMES A. WALSH. 

